It's hard to ignore San Francisco's prolific slugger Barry Bonds and his chase for homerun supremacy among major league baseball's all-time record holders. Last season he managed to belt 73 dingers to nab the single season homerun record previously held by Mark McGwire. ESPN and other (shitty) sports networks even interrupt broadcasting to show each of his at-bats on the chance he hits another homerun. His latest bid for history came via a record-distance grand slam against crapfest that is Padres pitching on Wednesday, moving him into sole possession of fourth place on the all-time list, ahead of Frank Robinson.

Okay, so we're all wondering where this surge in homerun hitting is coming from. Bonds, Sosa, McGwire, and even shortstops like Pay-Rod, what's the fuckin' deal here? The situation is created by a mixture of different things. First, major league pitching has really gone to the shitter lately. Besides a few high-profile dominating pitchers (Johnson, Schilling, Martinez, etc.), everyone else has been this side of mediocre. Let's not even say mediocre, let's call it being rammed in the loghole repeatedly. I can't say how many times I've correctly predicted a longball this season while watching a game. Now this could simply be attributed to my glowing baseball brilliance, but I tend to think it has to do with pitchers constantly serving up fat fastballs on the inside of the plate.

While pitching sucks, hitters have been bulking up. Steroid use has been making news lately, and though it doesn't automatically equal homerun proficiency, it certainly helps muscle the ball out of the park. Who would you trust with a bat, Urkel or the Rock? Exactly.

Add to that equation specialized bats, juiced balls and smaller ballparks and you get baseballs being knocked out more often than Tina Turner on a Saturday night. The trend is a nightmare for pitchers, but fuck them. Let the derby continue.

Time to Mingle, Baby

So interleague play has begun, and with it comes some intriguing weekend matchups (read: park ass in front of TV all weekend). Pedro Martinez battles Curt Schilling at Fenway Park, while the Giants head to Yankee Stadium where Barry Bonds plans on making friends with Yankee Stadium's short porch. Interleague play opens the opportunity for natural proximity rivals like the Cubs and White Sox, Yankees and Mets and Athletics and Giants to duke it out for a few games during the regular season.

A lot of people bitch and moan about the pointlessness of interleague play on standings and playoff rankings. I think these people should do two things. One, bend over. Two, remove stick from ass.

Interleague play is exciting, it gives fans of each league the rare chance to see players from the other league during the regular season. The American League and National League matchups played out this week could very well be a harbinger of things to come. The Yankees and Diamondbacks will get a rematch of their World Series dance, while the Mariners will get a taste of the Cardinals balanced style of winning. The unbalanced schedule can get really fucking boring after playing the goddamn Tampa Bay Devil Rays, oh, say 37 times during the season? Interleague play is like slathering ketchup on a generic hamburger, suddenly the staleness is replaced with a salty tango.

The taboo some fans feel about the National League and American League meeting before the playoffs is retarded. The games are more relaxed, because your team isn't clawing its way to wins against division rivals, and who can argue with watching a pitcher try and swing the bat? There is no comedy more pure, period.

Teams to Watch:
	Oakland Athletics - After shaking up their roster by trading Jeremy Giambi and demoting some regular starters, the A's have won 10 of their last 15 games. Could the plane be pulling out of its nosedive? Pitching has to step up, as homeruns will only get you so far.

Atlanta Braves - Finally chugging along behind the stellar pitching of Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux and closer John Smoltz. Is their 11th straight division title in the cards? If the offense can hold its own, absolutely.

Chopping Block: Don Baylor, goddamnit!
	I said it before and he's my choice again. Until he gets the axe, the Cubbies won't make too much of a splash in the NL Central with the likes of the Reds and Cardinals. He must die!

Stud of the Week: Ichiro Suzuki.
	Showing why he had the cojones to claim last year's AL MVP, batting a hefty .384 as of today with 18 stolen bases and 25 RBI's as Seattle's leadoff man. This guy can turn routine groundouts into infield singles and annoy the living shit out of opposing teams. Banzai, Ichiro!

Dud of the Week: Hideki Irabu.
	After showing flashes of promise as the Rangers' converted closer, Irabu has fallen flat. Irabu blew a save against the Angels last night, giving up 5 runs in little more than one inning of work. Rather than admit he's been stinking it up, Irabu blamed his recent failures on the adjustment from being a starter to being a closer. Right, so why is this sucking coming after success?

Hasta luego.
- Batgirl